Self Transportable Aerostat System

ABSTRACT

A self transportable aerostat system comprising: a first motorized mooring truck; a mooring tower removable attached to a base assembly of the first mooring truck, generally vertically arranged in relation to the bed of the first mooring truck; a proximal and distal boom deck removably attached to the base assembly; a flying sheave for redirecting a tether carried by the base assembly and attachable to an aerostat; a second motorized mooring truck attachable to the outer edge of the distal boom; and, an aerostat truck having an electrical connection for connecting to the first mooring truck and having an aerostat storage compartment for storing the aerostat is a retracted configuration.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application claims priority on U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/735,728 filed Jan. 7, 2013 which claims priority on ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 61/583,958 filed Jan. 6, 2012.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to a self transportable aerostat system andmore specifically, a mobile aerostat system having a large aerostattransported by one or more trucks having relatively small footprintswherein the truck or trucks transport the aerostat, providing a mooringsystem for a deployed aerostat and provide ground support for theaerostat and payload carried by the aerostat (e.g., surveillanceequipment).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of “lighter than air” balloons for military operations can betraced to the 1800s. Generally, these early balloons were used for:aerial bombing of military targets; aerial reconnaissance by captive(tethered) balloons; and communications. Both the Union and Confederatearmies used balloons for reconnaissance during the American Civil War,marking the first time that balloons were used in the United States forreconnaissance.

Today, the Drug Enforcement Administration in the United States operatesa series of radar-equipped tethered balloons wherein referred to asaerostats to detect low-flying aircraft attempting to enter the UnitedStates across the southern border. A plurality of aerostats arepositioned approximately 350 miles apart, from California to Florida toPuerto Rico, to provide radar coverage along the entire southern border.

During the 1990 invasion of Kuwait, the first indication of the Iraqiground advance was from a radar-equipped aerostat that detected Iraqiarmor and air assets moving south. Later, surveillance aerostats wereused in the 2004 American occupation of Iraq. These aerostats had anoptics system as payloads to detect and observe enemies from miles away.Aerostats are advantageous since suspending surveillance payloads from agenerally stabile platform allows for data to be collected over a widegeographic area.

It should be understood that in remote areas such as the battlefields ofIraq and Afghanistan, mobility of equipment faces unique logisticalchallenges. Environmental factors, distances, and circumstancessurrounding operations in a foreign country create these uniquechallenges. For example, forward bases of NATO forces in Afghanistanrequire constant supplies including gasoline, ammunition, repair parts,and other consumables. Forward bases can be in mountainous areas,traditionally Taliban strongholds, where most airfields are unsuitablefor heavy aircraft and supply has to be by palletized, parachute drops.

Additionally, the battlefield mandates that vehicles maintain a balanceof armor to protect occupants while also being more fuel efficient toreduce the amount of fuel that needs to be resupplied. Attempts toimprove armor include that described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,191,694 whichcan be used for tactical trucks. Transparent armor is also advantageousfor such trucks as described in United States Patent ApplicationPublication 2003/0190439. Not only are these trucks armored, but theterrain in which they operate require that the truck itself be rugged toperform in tough, uneven, unfriendly environments.

The use of aerostats is not limited to stationary mooring systems andaerostats can be deployed from mobile platforms. For example, U.S. Pat.No. 4,402,479 described a tethered aerostat attached to a trailer truck.The trailer truck is a flatbed trailer truck that also carries theelectrical generator, helium, fuel supply, and shelter. The trailertruck also carries a tower and a boom fastened to the truck flatheadadjacent to the tower. U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,221 also shows a ground basedmooring system which uses a flatbed trailer. U.S. Pat. No. 4,421,286also discloses a mooring system that can be on a mobile installation.Specifically, these references show a flatbed trailer that is hauled bya tractor trailer cab. U.S. Pat. No. 4,476,576 discloses acommunications system using an aerostat moored to such a trailer. Noneof these references are particularly well suited for mobile mooringsystems for aerostats as these references are not easily armored, arelarge in size creating disadvantages when traversing rugged terrain, notfuel efficient and generally difficult to transport to remote locationssuch as battlefields in foreign countries.

Another use of aerostats is shown in United States Patent ApplicationPublication 2011/0116905, Method And Apparatus for TransportingElongated, Cumbersome Loads. This application discloses a method fortransporting elongated, bulky loads with a cable-guided lifting bodyhaving a carrying cable with a balloon node and a crane node. Aplurality of mobile controllable winches include winch cables fastenedin the lower region of the load suspension unit. Crane winch cables areraised to the crane node and secured in a remote-controlled manner viahoisting cables. While mobile, this application has little to no utilitybased upon its structure and function for providing a self transportableaerostat system capable of including surveillance or communicationsrequirement in its payload for deployment in areas such as the battlefield.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a selftransportable aerostat system that can be deployed from a mobile groundmooring system.

It is another object to provide a rugged mobile system to handle harshterrain and operation environments as opposed to flatbed trailer basedground mooring systems not suitable for these in field conditions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above objectives are accomplished according to the present inventionby providing a self transportable aerostat system comprising: a mooringtruck having a base assembly, tower, boom, outriggers, spreader beams,wheel assemblies and a tether; an aerostat attached to the tether havinga payload; a secondary mooring truck in electronic communications withthe mooring truck for providing power to the mooring truck and theaerostat; an aerostat truck for aerostat and support equipment inelectronic communications with the payload for receiving data from thepayload and displaying data according to the received data to a userthrough a display and, whereby a mobile, remotely deployable aerostatsystem is provided.

The invention can include a first motorized mooring truck having a baseassembly rotatably attached to a bed of the first mooring truck; amooring tower removable attached to the base assembly generallyvertically arranged in relation to the bed of the first mooring truck; aproximal boom deck removably attached to the base assembly of the firstmooring truck for supporting an individual; a distal boom deck pivotallyattached to the proximal boom deck having a flying sheave for supportingan individual; an outer edge of the distal boom carrying a flying sheavefor redirecting a tether carried by the base assembly and attachable toan aerostat; a second motorized mooring truck attachable to the outeredge of the distal boom including a storage area for storing the mooringtower, the proximal boom deck and the distal boom deck when the mooringtower and the proximal boom deck and the distal boom deck aredisconnected from the first mooring truck; and, an aerostat truck havingan electrical connection for connecting to the first mooring truck andhaving an aerostat storage compartment for storing the aerostat in aretracted configuration.

Railings can be attached to the proximal boom deck when the system is inan operational position and received in the storage area of the secondmotorized mooring truck when the system is in a retracted position. Aspreader bar attached to the distal boom deck; and, a wheel assemblyattached to the distal boom deck for supporting the distal boom deckabove the ground and allowing the distal boom deck to rotate about thefirst motorized mooring truck.

A close haul winch can be attached at a distal end of the spreader barfor retracting a line attached to the aerostat. A plurality of outriggerattachment points can be included on the first motorized mooring truck;and, a plurality of outriggers attached to the outrigger attachmentpoints in an operational position and stored on the first motorizedmooring truck in a storage position.

The aerostat truck can include an aerostat storage compartment attachedto the aerostat truck for receiving a deflated aerostat; a removable lidto the aerostat storage compartment allowing an individual to stand inthe aerostat storage compartment thereby supporting the individual highenough to access a payload attached the aerostat when standing in theaerostat storage compartment and while the aerostat truck is positionedunder the aerostat.

A level wind can be carried under the proximal boom deck for directing amain tether from the base assembly to the flying sheave. The mooringtower can include a lower section removable attached to an upper sectionso that the lower and upper section can be stored on the secondmotorized mooring truck when detached from each other.

A nose latch can be included in the mooring tower for attaching theaerostat to the mooring tower in a retracted position. A weapon mountcan be included on the second mooring truck for supporting a weaponsystem.

The invention can include a method of deploying an aerostat comprisingthe steps of: removing an upper and lower mooring tower from a secondarymotorized mooring truck; connecting the upper and lower mooring tower toa base assembly attached to a first motorized mooring truck; attached aproximal boom deck to the first motorized mooring truck; attaching adistal boom deck to the proximal boom deck; connecting a nose linecarried by the mooring tower to a nose attachment point of an aerostatstored in an aerostat storage compartment included on an aerostatmotorized truck; retrieving the aerostat from a aerostat storagecompartment carried by the aerostat truck using the nose line; attachinga tether connected to a tether winch included on the base assembly tothe aerostat; and, inflating the aerostat with lighter than air gas.

Bumpers can be attached to the distal boom deck to support the aerostatwhile the aerostat is being inflated. The second motorized mooring truckcan be attached to an outer edge of the distal boom deck to thesecondary motorized mooring truck. The invention can include retrievinga spreader beam from the secondary motorized mooring truck; attachingthe spreader beam to the to the distal boom deck; and, attaching a wheelto the spreader beam so that the distal boom deck may rotate about themooring tower. The outer edge of the distal boom deck can be attached tothe second motorized mooring truck. A payload can be attached to theaerostat. A lid can be removed from the aerostat storage compartment sothat an individual can access the aerostat to attach the payload.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The construction designed to carry out the invention will hereinafter bedescribed, together with other features thereof. The invention will bemore readily understood from a reading of the following specificationand by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof,wherein an example of the invention is shown and wherein:

FIG. 1A is a schematic of the invention;

FIGS. 1B through 1D are side views of aspects of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of aspects of the invention;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are perspective views of aspects of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of aspects of the invention;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are elevation and perspective views of aspects of theinvention;

FIG. 6 is an elevation view of aspects of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic of the invention;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are perspective views of components of the invention;and,

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of components of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, the invention will now be described in moredetail. FIG. 1 shows an aerostat 10 having a payload bay 12 for carryinga payload and forward attachment point 14. The aerostat is filled withlighter than air (LTA) gas so that it is buoyant. In one embodiment, theaerostat is a 28M system or larger manufactured by the applicant and canhave the following specifications: it can lift 900 lbs of payload weightto 3,000 above ground level (AGL) from a 3,000 foot pad, it can lift 700lbs of payload weight to 3,000 AGL from a 6,000 foot pad, include a 5kWatt power supply for payloads, include 5 optical fibers for payloads,can fly for up to 4 weeks, has a minimum mooring pad radius of 110 ftand a hull volume of 55,300 ft³. Among other things, payloads caninclude 2 cameras (MX-15 or FLIR 380HD) and Vista Radar.

The aerostat can be tethered to a first motorized mooring truck 16.Examples of mooring trucks include the Oshkosh M-ATV (Standard), OshkoshM-ATV Ambulance, International MaxxPro Dash (Standard) and theInternational MRV (MRAP Recovery Vehicle). It should be noted that themooring truck need not be armored. In one embodiment, the mooring truckincludes a 8 foot by 8 foot bed 18 with a height of approximately 13feet 6 inches.

Referring to FIG. 2, the first motorized mooring truck is described inmore detail. A outrigger attachment point 21 is included in the baseassembly 22 of the first motorized mooring truck. Outriggers 20 athrough 20 c (fourth outrigger on opposite side not shown) can beattached to the bed using the outrigger attachment points or otherwisecan be carried by the truck. The outriggers can be located on both sidesof the truck when deployed. The base assembly 22 is carried by the truckand can be attached to truck bed 18. A tether winch 24 can be carried bythe truck and attached to the base assembly and can be operativelyassociated with a tether for deploying and retracting the aerostat.Tether 26 can be attached to the aerostat and extended from andretracted into the base assembly.

Referring to FIG. 3A, a mooring tower 28 is removably attached to thebase assembly when in the operational position and disposed generallyvertically to the ground. In one embodiment, the tower 28 can include anupper and lower section that can be connected and can each be eight feetin length and made from carbon fiber. The tower and its sections can bestored on a second motorized mooring truck 68. Each tower section couldweigh less than 50 pounds resulting in lightweight, stackable towersections.

The tower and tower sections can be square, rectangular or triangular incross-section. The sections can be an assembly of vertical supportsconnected by a plurality of cross members. Referring to FIG. 3B, thetower can be attached to the mooring truck through a plurality of baseassembly eyelets 86 that can engage tower eyelets 88 and be securedthrough a plurality of pins such as shown as 91. In one embodiment, theboom comprises five truss sections made from carbon fiber and are 30pounds in weight each. Stays can be used to further secure the tower tothe truck.

Referring to FIG. 3A, electrical boxes or other utility boxes 30 a and30 b can be carried by the truck and can be used to route power to thevarious components such as the winch motor, base assembly and the like.A nose latch 32 can be carried by the distal end of tower 28 to securethe aerostat to the tower in the retracted position, or to assist withlowering and deploying the aerostat.

In one embodiment, a boom 34 can be attached to the base assembly andcan comprise multiple boom sections allowing the boom to be dissembledand stored in a dissembled configuration having a smaller footprint thana fully extended boom. The boom sections can be stored on the secondarymotorized mooring truck. In one embodiment, a proximal boom deck 31 a itattached to the base assembly of the first motorized mooring truck. Theproximal boom deck can provide a support surface for an individual toaccess the aerostat. When stored, the proximal boom deck is stored onthe secondary motorized mooring truck. A distal boom deck 31 b can behingeably attached to the proximal boom deck. A plurality of mid boomdeck sections can be attached to each other and be disposed between theproximal and distal boom decks.

The boom section or decks can have a square, rectangular, or triangularcross-section and can include support members connected bycross-members. The boom sections can be pivotally attached to each otherwith damped hinged joints to accommodate terrain changes if the boomrotates about an axis generally in line with the tower vertical axis.While moored, shown as 46, the aerostat can weather-vane so that thenose 42 (FIG. 1) is pointed into the wind with fins 44 a through 44 ctrailing the nose.

Spreader beams 48 a and 48 b can be attached to an outer edge of thedistal boom deck and can carry distal close haul winches 50 a and 50 b,respectively, for further securing the aerostat in a lowered orretracted position. Wheel assemblies 52 a and 52 b that are verticallycompliant for uneven terrain can be carried by the spreader beamsallowing the boom to rotate in a circular direction 54 around the truck.

Multiple railing sections such as 36 can be attached to the boom decksproviding additional safety to help prevent individuals and items fromfalling off the boom. Bumper rails 38 a and 38 b can be attached to thedistal boom deck for moored restraint of the aerostat. Flying sheave 40can be carried by the distal boom deck to redirect the tether 26 upwardstoward the aerostat. Support wheels 52 a and 52 b allow the boom totravel in circular path 54 generally around the truck, which in turnallows the aerostat to weather-vane when connected to the tower.

Referring to FIG. 3A, the first motorized mooring truck 16 is shown inmore detail in its stowed/retracted arrangement. A set of lower utilityboxes 56 are carried by base assembly 22 and can include electricaljunctions for power, fiber optic interfaces, data interfaces, and thelike. Rotational winch 58 can be attached to the base assembly orotherwise carried by the truck for rotating an upper base assembly 60 ofthe base assembly and thereby rotating the tower. Tether winch motor 24′is shown operatively associated with tether winch 24 for deploying andretracting the tether. Close haul winches 50 a and 50 b can be attachedto the upper base assembly at locations 62 a and 62 b respectively intransportation mode. A nose winch 64 can be attached to the upper baseassembly for further securing the aerostat to the tower. Electricalconnectors and fiber optic connectors 66 can be housed in a slip ring. Afiber optic rotary joint can be included in the upper base assembly forconnecting payload equipment on the aerostat to the ground supportsystems. The outriggers are shown in a stowed configuration and carriedby the base assembly.

Referring to FIG. 1C, a second motorized mooring truck 68′ is shown inthe stowed arrangement and as 68 (FIG. 1A) in the operationalarrangement. In the operational arrangement, a generator 70 is carriedby the second motorized mooring truck and in electrical communicationwith first motorized mooring truck to supply power to the base assembly,its various components, aerostat and payload(s). The second motorizedmooring truck can include a fuel reservoir for providing fuel to thegenerator. A weapons mount 72 can be included on the second motorizedmooring truck 68 to provide protection for the transportation convoy.

FIG. 4 shows secondary truck in its stowed arrangement. In thisarrangement, the proximal and distal boom decks, mid boom decks, towersections, deck rails and bumpers rails are stored on the bed of thesecond motorized mooring truck. Spreader beams 48 a and 48 b are shownstored above generator 70 and have wheel assemblies attached. Flyingsheave 40 is stored above the tower sections with bumper rails storedabove the pulley. The various boom decks 78 are stored on the bed of thesecondary truck adjacent to the tower sections 74 and 76 with therailing sections 36 (not shown) and bumper rails 38 a and 38 b arrangedabove the tower sections. In one embodiment, railing sections compriseof support structures and netting.

Aerostat truck 80 (FIGS. 1A, 1D and 5B) includes an aerostat storagecompartment 82 and various support equipment 84 for the aerostat itself.The aerostat truck can be in electrical communications with the firstmotorized mooring truck so that payload, telemetry, optical, and otherdata can be transmitted between the aerostat truck, the first motorizedmooring truck, and the various equipment or payload on the aerostatitself. A display 110 (FIG. 9) associated with the payload (e.g.,sensors, cameras, and the like) can be placed inside the aerostat truckso that information from the aerostat can be viewed by users in theaerostat truck.

It should be noted that the particular arrangement described need not beidentical as the various components of the inventions can be stored onthe various trucks in any number of possible combinations. Thecomponents of the invention can also be delivered to an operational sitethrough airlift. A trailer can be included carried by one of more of thetrucks for transporting equipment, helium and the like. Further, one ormore trailers can be substituted for one or more of the trucks asdescribed herein so that the mooring truck, secondary mooring truck oraerostat truck can be substituted with a trailer carried by a remainingtruck.

When deploying the aerostat 10 (FIG. 5A), the first motorized mooringtruck has the tower, boom, spreader beams, and wheel assembliesdeployed. The aerostat truck backs up to the outer edge of the distalboom deck. Nose line 91 is deployed from the tower and attached to noseattachment point 14 of the aerostat. The nose line is retracted therebypulling the aerostat from the aerostat storage compartment 82. Tarps 92can be placed on the boom and railing sections to prevent the boom andrailing sections from catching on the material of the aerostat therebyreducing the chance of damaging the aerostat when it is being deployed.The nose winch operator can operate the nose winch remotely using awired or wireless controller 94. Storage area 96 can be included in theaerostat truck for storing and transporting utilitarian and maintenanceitems such as shovels, ladders, avionics, tools, and the like. In oneembodiment, the aerostat truck has a 9 foot truck bed, is 13 feet 6inches in height, 8 feet width, and an aerostat storage compartment thatis 15 feet in length and 8 feet in width with storage compartment 96 andaerostat storage compartment 82 being a combined 8 feet 6 inches inheight. The aerostat storage compartment can contain the aerostat, noseattachment point, and the payload racks. In one embodiment, the aerostatis folded in an CS' configuration for storage.

In one configuration as shown in FIG. 6, the aerostat truck 80 can alsobe used to access payloads while the aerostat is inflated. In thisconfiguration, the top or lid of the aerostat storage container can beremoved providing access to the interior of the aerostat compartment andallowing an individual to stand in the compartment area. The individualit thereby raised a sufficient height above the ground to reach thepayload areas of the aerostat. In another embodiment, the aerostatstorage compartment does not have a top. In one embodiment, the aerostatstorage container's floor is 9 feet AGL and the top of the aerostatstorage container is 13 feet 6 inches AGL. Safety rails can be includedwith or attached to the aerostat storage compartment in the event thatthe storage compartment does not include a top or sides. In oneembodiment, the sides of the aerostat storage compartment rotatedownwards to assist with the deployment of the aerostat. The payloadrack and payload can be accessed by the individual standing in theaerostat storage compartment. In one embodiment, there are two 14 footpayload racks.

Referring to FIG. 7, one embodiment of the invention is shown. An outeredge of the distal boom deck can be attached to the aerostat truck toprovide reaction force for the boom and reduce stresses on the boom fromthe lift generated by the aerostat. This configuration would be usedgenerally when the aerostat lifts to an altitude of 250 AGL and themooring system is no longer required to weather-vane.

Each of the deck sections can be pivotally attached to each otherthrough hinges such as shown as 100. These hinges can be dampened toallow for the boom to travel across and lie upon uneven ground andterrain.

Tether 26 is carried by tether spool 102 and can run along the undersideof the boom sections. When the tether is being retracted, a level wind104 can be included to allow the tether be generally evenly distributedaround the tether spool. In one embodiment, the level wind is comprisedfrom components taken from the group of sheave, pulley, fairlead, bellmouth and can have a smooth and/or large radius for guiding the tether.In one embodiment, the level wind and flying sheave have approximatelythe same radius. In one embodiment, level wind 104 is a generallyvertical member having an opening for receiving the tether and carriedby a track 106 allowing the level wind to travel back and forth in adirection parallel to the axis of the tether spool. The tether then isredirected generally upwards by flying sheave 40.

In one embodiment, a 28M aerostat is used with 56,000 ft³ of Heliumneeded. Helium tanks can be made from material taken from the group ofaluminum, steel, carbon fiber, composites, or any combination of these.Generally, the size of the tanks would be eight feet by eight feet byten feet. Therefore, these tanks could be carried by one of theaforementioned trucks, a trailer attached to one of the trucks or afourth truck.

From the above-described configuration and the advantage achieved fromthis structure, six to eight individuals would be all that is necessaryto deploy to the aerostat. Operation of the aerostat would only require2 to 3 individuals. In operations, the various motorized vehicles canarrive at a remote location and are able to reach generally areasinaccessible by vehicles with trailer and cap configurations. The toweris removed from the second motorized mooring truck and attached,generally vertically, to the base assembly. The proximal boom deck isattached to the base assembly and the distal boom deck is attached. Thenose line is connected to the aerostat nose attachment point and whenthe nose line is retracted using the nose winch, the aerostat isretrieved from the storage compartment of the second motorized mooringtruck. The tether is attached to the aerostat and disposed under theproximal and distal boom decks. The aerostat is inflated.

The lid of the storage compartment of the aerostat truck can be removedand an individual can stand on the aerostat truck to reach the payloadarea of the aerostat to install, remove or otherwise maintain thepayload. In one embodiment, the outer edge of the distal boom deck canbe attached to the second motorized mooring truck. In thisconfiguration, the aerostat and mooring trucks can withstand higherwinds and can withstand winds in excess of 30 knots.

In one embodiment, the proximal boom deck and distal boom deck can arearranged in a cantilevered arrangement and can withstand winds up to 30knots. A 28M (56,000 ft³) or larger aerostat can be configured to fitinto two MRAP trucks with volume less than 608 cu. ft. and bed footprint less than or equal to 8′×8′ area. The aerostat can be deployed intwo hours or less.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described usingspecific terms, such description is for illustrative purposes only, andit is to be understood that changes and variations may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A self transportable aerostat system comprising:a first motorized mooring truck; a base assembly carried by said firstmooring truck, wherein said base assembly configured to be attached to atether; a mooring tower removably attached to said base assembly anddisposed vertically in an operating position; a proximal boom deckremovably attached to said base assembly; a distal boom deck pivotallyattached to said proximal boom deck; a flying sheave carried by saiddistal boom deck; wherein an outer edge of said distal boom is attachedto said flying sheave, wherein the flying sheave is configured toredirect said tether; a second motorized mooring truck attachable tosaid distal boom; and, a storage area included on said second motorizedmooring truck configured to store said mooring tower, said proximal boomdeck, and said distal boom deck when said mooring tower and saidproximal boom deck and said distal boom deck are disconnected from saidfirst mooring truck.
 2. The system of claim 1 including railingsattached to said proximal boom deck when said system is in anoperational position and received in said storage area of said secondmotorized mooring truck when said system is in a retracted position. 3.The system of claim 1 including: a spreader bar attached to said distalboom deck; and, a wheel assembly attached to said distal boom deckconfigured to support said distal boom deck above the ground and allowsaid distal boom deck to rotate about said first motorized mooringtruck.
 4. The system of claim 3 including close haul winches attached ata distal end of said spreader bar for retracting a line attached to saidaerostat.
 5. The system of claim 1 including a plurality of outriggerattachment points attached to said first motorized mooring truck
 6. Thesystem of claim 1 including: an aerostat truck having an aerostatstorage compartment configured to store said aerostat in a retractedconfiguration; and, a removable lid attached to said aerostat storagecompartment configured to allow a person to stand in the aerostatstorage compartment thereby supporting the person high enough to accessa payload attached to the aerostat when said aerostat truck ispositioned under said aerostat.
 7. The system of claim 1 including alevel wind carried under said proximal boom deck for directing a maintether from said base assembly to said flying sheave.
 8. The system ofclaim 1 wherein said mooring tower includes: a lower section; and, anupper section removably attached to said lower section and configured toallow said lower and upper section to be stored on said second motorizedmooring truck when detached from each other.
 9. The system of claim 1including a nose latch attached to said mooring tower to attach saidaerostat to said mooring tower in a retracted position.
 10. The systemof claim 1 including a weapon mount included on said second mooringtruck for support a weapon system.
 11. The system of claim 1 includingan aerostat removably attached to said first motorized mooring truck.12. A self transportable aerostat system comprising: a first motorizedmooring truck having a bed; a base assembly rotatably attached to saidbed; a mooring tower removable attached to said base assembly; aproximal boom deck removably attached to said base assembly; a distalboom deck pivotally attached to said proximal boom deck; a flying sheaveattached to said distal boom deck; a tether carried by said baseassembly; wherein said distal boom deck is attached to said flyingsheave and configured to redirect said tether; a wheel assembly attachedto said distal boom deck configured to support said distal boom deckabove the ground and allowing said distal boom deck to rotate about saidfirst motorized mooring truck; a second motorized mooring truckconfigured to be carried by said distal boom; and, a storage areaincluded in said second motorized mooring truck for storing said mooringtower, said proximal boom deck and said distal boom deck when saidmooring tower and said proximal boom deck and said distal boom deck aredisconnected from said first mooring truck.
 13. The system of claim 12including a mid boom deck carried between said proximal and said distalboom decks.
 14. A self transportable aerostat system comprising: a firstmotorized mooring truck; a base assembly rotatably attached to saidfirst mooring truck; a mooring tower carried by said first motorizedtruck; a boom carried by said first motorized mooring truck configuredto rotate about said first motorized mooring truck; a tether winchcarried by said first motorized mooring truck configured to deploy andretract an aerostat attached to said tether; and, a second motorizedmooring truck having a storage area configured to store said mooringtower and said boom when said mooring tower and said boom aredisconnected from said first mooring truck.
 15. The system of claim 14including boom sections defined in said boom.
 16. The system of claim 14including a spreader beam attached to a distal end of said boom.
 17. Thesystem of claim 16 including a wheel assembly carried by the spreaderbeam.
 18. The system of claim 14 wherein a portion of said tether isdisposed under said boom and redirected by a distal end of said boom tosaid aerostat.
 19. The system of claim 14 including a proximal boom deckand distal boom deck included in the boom and in a cantileveredarrangement.
 20. The system of claim 14 including a nose line attachedto said mooring tower at one end and said aerostat and another end.